Minister says 2027-30 policy approved by cabinet after considering committee proposals
ISLAMABAD:
The National Assembly Stang Committee on Religious Affairs on Wednesday raised objections to the four-year Hajj policy for 2027-30, questioning why the policy had been approved by the federal cabinet before being brought before the parliamentary committee.
The committee meeting, chaired by Shagufta Jumani, reviewed the Hajj policy for 2027-30. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said the government had taken into consideration recommendations made by the committee during its previous meeting.
Yousaf said the federal cabinet approved the four-year Hajj policy, keeping in view the timeline set by Saudi Arabia. He added that the cabinet also constituted a committee to formulate the policy concerning Hajj assistants, which directed that their selection be made through a third party.
However, committee member Ejaz-ul-Haq strongly objected to how the four-year policy was presented to the committee. He said the committee was informed about the policy only after the cabinet approved it.
“If the cabinet itself is to take all decisions regarding Hajj, then the Religious Affairs Committee should be abolished,” Ejaz remarked. He questioned the involvement of ministers Rana Sanaullah and Musaddiq Malik in Hajj-related decisions, asking what they knew about the affairs of Hajj.
Haq argued that the draft law concerning religious affairs was referred to the committee before being sent to parliament, so the same principle should apply to major Hajj policy decisions.
The committee also expressed concern over repeated extensions given to the director general Hajj.
Members noted that the DG Hajj had been granted extensions several times, while Ejaz said he heard the official received a “lifetime extension.”
The committee also discussed the quota allocated to private Hajj operators. Ejaz noted that companies were given quotas of 2,000 pilgrims, while some people paid up to Rs10 million to perform Hajj under private schemes.
He questioned the wisdom of allocating a quota of 2,000 pilgrims to one company, asking how many pilgrims would be affected if a company failed to make proper arrangements. The committee decided to constitute a subcommittee to examine the Hajj policy for 2027-30 in greater detail.
